National

Caroline Kennedy is gearing up for a showdown with Donald Trump over his Kennedy Center overhaul.

Joe Biden‘s Ambassador to Australia has stepped up to manage the fallout at the landmark institution after the president’s hasty decision to fire the board and name himself as chairman, Knewz.com can reveal.

At 67, Caroline – who holds the title of Emeritus Trustee at the D.C.-based center named after her father, John F. Kennedy – is reportedly gearing up for a meeting with Trump, according to insiders.

She will also be joined by her daughter, Rose Kennedy Schlossberg.

Sources said Rose, 36, and her circle have criticized the Trump administration’s recent stance on trans athletes, and she plans to stand by her mother in confronting the controversy surrounding the institution that carries their family name.

They explained: “Rose told friends that she and her mother are set to have a private meeting with Trump over the Kennedy Center after he ousted the board members and vowed to end its drag show events.”

Rose, the eldest daughter of Caroline and Ed Schlossberg, is known for avoiding the spotlight despite being one of JFK’s grandchildren.

While it’s unclear how she’ll be involved in the meeting with Trump, her interest in the Kennedy Center’s legacy as a filmmaker and artist likely plays a role in her support.

She currently resides with her wife in Ojai, California.

Last week, Trump, 78, took charge of the cultural institution – criticizing its former leadership, assuming the role of chairman, and ousting president Deborah Rutter.

Others within Rutter’s office were also let go.

The Kennedy Center, a leading arts organization with years of bipartisan support, is most known for the Kennedy Center Honors, National Symphony Orchestra, and Washington National Opera.

After becoming the institution’s new leader, Trump wrote in a statement: “It is a great honor to be Chairman of The Kennedy Center, especially with this amazing Board of Trustees. We will make The Kennedy Center a very special and exciting place!”

He took over the position from billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein.

While Rutter had already planned to step down by the end of this year, Rubenstein was set to remain as chair until September 2026.

Alongside Trump will be his ally Richard Grennell, who will serve as an envoy for the president’s administration – further signifying the president’s rapid takeover of the prestigious institution.

The president has famously slammed the center for its “woke” shift and pledged reforms. He also attacked it for hosting drag shows, noting his wider agenda to shrink government and cut agencies.

Trump said: “I think we’re going to do something very special. It got very woke-y, and some people were not happy with it, and some people refused to go. And we’re not going to have that.”

Since Trump became chairman, several celebrities – including Shonda Rhimes and Renee Fleming – have stepped down from their roles at the Kennedy Center.

John F. Kennedy‘s quirky grandson Jack Schlossberg has returned to social media to slam Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency, Knewz.com can reveal.

After previously taking a hiatus from Instagram following a series of bizarre ramblings and a spat with Megyn Kelly, Schlossberg returned with a bang on Tuesday, February 18, to condemn the closing of the John F. Kennedy Library as part of widespread, indiscriminate DOGE cuts.

The 32-year-old shared a screenshot of a post from the JFK Library Foundation informing visitors the center was “temporarily closed until further notice.” In the second slide, he shared a photo of his late grandfather and former president.

Schlossberg didn’t hold back his feelings on how the DOGE cuts are impacting government agencies, federal workers and citizens in his caption.

He wrote: “STEALING HISTORY from the PEOPLE – our government is using PROPAGANDA TO CHANGE THE PAST.

“Today DOGE SHUT DOWN the JFK LIBRARY – welcomes thousands of students ever year to learn about US HISTORY.”

His caption continued: “The DIRECTOR OF PRES. LIBRARIES (from White House / DOGE) instructed the JFKLIBRARY to fire probationary staff effective immediately and until further notice.

“THE PEOPLE WHO WERE FIRED 1) generate REVENUE FOR THE GOVT 2) are NECESSARY to keep the institution open.

“This isn’t about me – but I have worked with the JFKL staff for decades and they are truly amazing. Thank you to them, to Rachel day Flor, to the ARCHIVISTS OF THE US never thought they’d be on the frontlines of battle but here we are !!”

The closure of the JFK Library comes after a takeover of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a national culture center in Washington D.C. that hosts the annual Kennedy Center Honors.

For decades, the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors were awarded to individuals who “made significant contributions to American culture,” including musicians, actors, writers and Broadway performers.

Recently, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at dismantling the Kennedy Center’s board of directors in an effort to end what he referred to as “woke culture.”

Trump then announced plans to remove the current chairman and board of trustees and install himself at the helm of the famed institution.

His new board of trustees included spouses of his cabinet members, donors and their spouses.

Some followers alleged the recent changes to the Kennedy Center and now the closure of the JFK Library appeared to be seeking “revenge” against Schlossberg’s family by the Trump administration.

One Instagram user wrote: “I’m sorry Jack. Between this and the Kennedy Center, seems as though they are out for revenge on the Kennedy family. RFK Jr should be defending his family, not sitting back and happily watching this. It’s despicable.”

Another follower added: “This is fascism,” while a third said, “This is absolutely ridiculous. i can’t believe they would do that. What possible reason could they have for this!”

A fourth wrote: “Librarians are always on the front lines of fighting censorship. We all need to support our public libraries and librarians as well as those of bigger institutions.”

Dozens of other followers welcomed Schlossberg’s fiery return to the social platform, declaring “Pookie is back.”

Meanwhile, insiders claimed family members of the Kennedy family are distancing themselves from “embarrassing” Schlossberg and are refusing to “take blame or responsibility” for his bizarre posts, claiming he’s “more Schlossberg than Kennedy.”

The source said: “Members of the Kennedy family, although embarrassed by and for Jack, are adamant that they feel no blame or responsibility for his boorish online shenanigans… They feel Jack’s dark persona is a clear case of ‘like father, like son.'”

Several injuries have been reported after a Delta flight from Minnesota crashed and caught fire upon landing in Ontario, Canada.

Knewz.com can reveal Delta Flight 4819 overturned on the snowy tarmac at Toronto Pearson International Airport around 2:45 p.m. local time on Monday – with several terrified travelers capturing the harrowing experience on camera.

Videos on social media and a live feed from the airport show the plane flipped over, with passengers walking away as crews work to put out the fire.

The CRJ-900 took off from Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, according to the FAA.

The airport wrote on X shortly after the accident: “Toronto Pearson (airport) is aware of an incident upon landing involving a Delta Airlines plane arriving from Minneapolis. Emergency teams are responding. All passengers and crew are accounted for.”

The FAA has issued a ground stop for all flights departing to Pearson, and passengers have been advised to contact their airline directly to confirm if their travel plans have been impacted.

At least 15 individuals have been hospitalized according to Peel Regional Paramedic Services, with three being listed in critical condition – including one child.

As of 3:40 p.m. ET, all 80 people had evacuated from the plane, according to sources.

Aviation enthusiasts speculated on a message board the strong crosswinds – which reached 40mph on the ground – may have caused the jet to flip.

A few shocked survivors also recorded themselves inside the plane after it turned, and on the tarmac after they had escaped.

You can watch one of the videos below:

Passenger Ashley Zook took to Snapchat saying: “I was just in a plane crash. Oh my god.”

John Nelson, another person on board, posted jaw-dropping footage on Facebook capturing the moment he exited the aircraft.

He said: “We just landed. Our plane crashed – it’s upside down. Most people are going to be okay.”

This incident comes just weeks after the widely covered mid-air collision over the Potomac River between an Army Black Hawk and an American Airlines regional jet.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating potential issues with radio communication and altimeter errors, sparking growing concerns about regional flight safety and industry protocols.

It also comes shortly after President Donald Trump began his purge of hundreds of FAA employees last week – with probationary workers being targeted in emails on Friday notifying them they had been fired.

According to an air traffic controller, the affected workers include those hired for FAA radar, landing, and navigational aid maintenance.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said in a statement it was “analyzing the effect of the reported federal employee terminations on aviation safety, the national airspace system and our members.”

Other FAA employees who were let go had been working on a classified early warning radar system for Hawaii, announced by the Air Force in 2023, to detect incoming cruise missiles.

This program, partly funded by the Department of Defense, is one of several managed by the FAA’s National Defense Program – which oversees radars for long-range detection along the country’s borders.

The details about Rupert Murdoch‘s media dynasty and family being ripped apart have been revealed.

Knewz.com can report that after the family feud was largely sealed off from the public, shocking details of the case have been exposed through publications and a very rare interview with James Murdoch.

For the last 18 months, the family has been embroiled in a legal battle over the succession plan when Murdoch dies.

According to reports, the media mogul wanted his oldest son Lachlan to follow in his footsteps and to take control of the companies after he passed away.

To ensure that, Rupert needed to completely revamp the Family Trust’s “irrevocable” terms – which he started to do under a secret plan called Project Family Harmony.

The other three siblings were left livid over their family and brother’s secret plan and took legal action.

In a rare interview, the younger Murdoch brother shared details about his battle against dad Rupert and brother Lachlan – who both dispute James’ account of events.

According to the story, James claimed he was asked a series of questions from his father’s attorney in a New York office ahead of the Nevada trial.

James claimed he was asked: “Have you ever done anything successful on your own?”

He also alleged his father’s attorneys of calling him and his two sisters “white, privileged, multi-billionaire trust-fund babies.”

While many fans of the hit show Succession were freaking out over the final season, Elisabeth Murdoch was also left panicking – especially because the series was inspired by her own family.

As loyal viewers of the show already know, the family’s patriarch Logan Roy was killed off, which left her “extremely upset,” according to reports.

After the finale aired, Elisabeth’s representative to the family trust, Mark Devereux, recalled his reaction to the plot and started to work on a memo to avoid the same chaos as seen on the show.

It was reported during the trial Rupert admitted he had seen a copy of the memo and it “irritated” him.

Family tensions started to worsen after Elizabeth became aware her father and brother were making changes to the family trust – and she attempted to stop it.

During a meeting regarding the family truth, she was reportedly secretly taping the proceedings and allegedly accused her brother and father of “raping” the media company.

She reportedly said: “If you think that is harmony, we must be in North Korea.”

After destroying the relationship between the siblings and the entire family – the trial didn’t go Rupert or Lachlan’s way, and on December 7th, they lost the legal battle.

The two have since appealed against the court decision in Nevada.

According to The Atlantic, but before the verdict was delivered, James, Elisabeth, and Prudence decided to reach out to their father.

They reportedly wrote a letter to their own father saying: “Over and above any other feelings all of us may have — of upset and shock — our unifying emotion is sorrow and grief.

“We are asking you with love to find a way to put an end to this destructive judicial path so that we can have a chance to heal as a collaborative and loving family.”

Rupert allegedly wrote back a few days later: “Only to conclude that I was right.”

The media mogul then allegedly told his own children to have their lawyers contact his legal team if they wanted to chat.

Pentagon officials have been hiding a top-secret program dedicated to retrieving downed UFOs and harvesting their otherworldly technology for America’s military use according to an ex-forces pilot, Knewz.com can reveal.

Whistleblower Jake Barber, a respected Air Force veteran, said he was part of a clandestine team whose job was to rush to the scene of crashed UFOs and collect the debris before the public or our nation’s adversaries – knew they were even there.

The former helicopter pilot explains that some of the downed craft he saw on the job were man-made – but charges at least one of them was DEFINITELY “alien” in origin.

“I saw an egg, a white egg,” he said of one suspicious vessel. “There was no engine, no thermal signature.

“I was operating at night when I finally came to pick it up… I’m wearing night-vision goggles… Just visually looking at the object on the ground, you could tell that it was extraordinary and anomalous.

“It was not human.”

Barber’s stunning testimony follows similar earth-shaking claims.

In July 2023, former Air Force intelligence officer David Grusch told congressional investigators during a public hearing that the Pentagon has operated a secret “multi-decade” reverse-engineering program for crashed UFOS – and that members of this program have also recovered nonhuman “biologics” from crash sites.

“My testimony is based on information I have been given by individuals with a long-standing track record of legitimacy and service to this country,” the retired major said at the time.

One year later, journalist Michael Shellenberger came forward with the account of an unnamed government whistleblower, who alleged the Pentagon is hiding a program called Immaculate Constellation, dedicated to retrieving downed extraterrestrial vehicles.

Yet, the Pentagon promptly denied its existence.

Then, in November, retired Army intelligence agent Luis Elizondo – who formerly oversaw a now-defunct special-access Pentagon team devoted to studying UFOS – ALSO said, in a congressional hearing, the institution is hiding an Initiative tasked with recovering crashed alien ships.

Elizondo claimed the shady group is led by an X-Files-like cabal who will stop at nothing to “hide the fact that we are not alone in the cosmos” and discredit canaries through harassment, unwarranted criminal investigations and smear campaigns.

“I believe that we as Americans can handle the truth,” he added to Congress. “And I also believe the world deserves the trut.”

One UFO expert consulted speculates the parade of disclosures and military whistleblowers is actually a coordinated effort by Pentagon bigwigs to prepare America’s public for the program’s big reveal – which may also include an announcement confirming the existence of ETs and their repeated visits to Earth.

“It’s the best explanation for why so many reliable former military personnel are choosing to come forward,” the insider said. “I bet the brass is behind it. They know they can’t keep the secret for too much longer, and they are looking to prevent hysteria when the truth comes out.”

As for Barber, he says he got as close as roughly 150 feet to the mysterious egg-shaped craft.

The pilot added following his incredible ‘sighting’, ranking members of the Pentagon’s UFO task force confirmed what he had seen was “nonhuman.”

He said of the ship: “It was clearly ridiculous-looking. It was inconsistent with anything I’d ever seen before. I can also tell you that by the reaction of my team, we all knew we were dealing with something extraordinary.”

The Pentagon denied “any programs regarding the possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials have existed in the past or exist currently.”

Yet, the source added, it’s only a matter of time before the conga line of informants and exposés forces the Pentagon to come clean.

Our insider insisted: “They probably know that they can’t hide what they’ve been doing for decades forever.

“It’s been so long in coming-but the truth will eventually come out.”

Bill Maher heavily ridiculed the “ultra-woke” officials who changed the name of the Boy Scouts of America to “Scouting America” in an attempt to promote inclusivity.

The 69-year-old talk-show comedian went on an angry rant about how “the whole f—— country is an Onion headline” during a recent episode of HBO’s Real Time.

Maher told his viewers: “The Boy Scouts of America cannot be called Boy Scouts anymore because it’s exclusionary.

“Like there isn’t a Girl Scouts, like this is some crime against nature. People are different, it’s now ‘Scouting America’.”

One of the comedian’s guests, Ohio Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan, added: “They have to achieve, they have to put forth the effort, that’s part of maturing and becoming a full functioning adult.

“To take that away is insane, to say this is targeted towards young boys because young boys are different than young girls. The approach needs to be different.”

Maher interrupted: “Yeah, they think it’s funny when you fart in a sleeping bag.”

Another guest, New York Times columnist Pamela Paul, said: “I understand why girls would want to be in the Boy Scouts: It’s a lot more fun.

“The only thing really, as a former Girl Scout, that the Girl Scouts had going for them is the cookies.”

The third guest, southern rapper and well-known Republican supporter of President Donald Trump, Kid Rock, jumped in: “Sorry to put it so harsh, but we lost a good portion of a few generations of men who just turned into complete f—— p——.”

The decision to change the name of the Boy Scouts was announced last May to welcome everyone to experience the benefits of scouting. This change aligns with the organization’s efforts to modernize and evolve with the times.

Roger A. Krone, president and CEO of Scouting America, said: “Though our name will be new, our mission remains unchanged: we are committed to teaching young people to be Prepared. For Life.

“This will be a simple but very important evolution as we seek to ensure that everyone feels welcome in Scouting.”

In other attempts to bring the long-standing scout organization into the 21st century, the Boy Scouts of America began allowing gay youth to join in 2013 and ended a blanket ban on gay adult leaders in 2015.

In 2017, they also announced that girls would be accepted as Cub Scouts in 2018 and could graduate into the Boy Scout program in 2019.

The decision to accept girls throughout their ranks caused a serious riff with the Girl Scouts of the USA, which sued the Boy Scouts, claiming the move created marketplace confusion and damaged their recruitment efforts.

They reached a settlement agreement after a judge rejected those claims, saying both groups are free to use words like “scouts” and “scouting.”

Fourteen states sued President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Thursday, February 13, alleging that the department’s efforts to slash government spending are “unconstitutional.”

Knewz.com has learned that the state of New Mexico is leading the coalition of the 14 states filing the suit.

It has been reported that the coalition includes Arizona, Michigan, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, in addition to New Mexico.

The states have demanded that the court stop the tech billionaire from “making changes to the disbursement of public funds, government contracts, regulations or personnel, as well as receiving access to or altering data systems,” according to reports.

The states wrote in the filing:

“Mr. Musk’s seemingly limitless and unchecked power to strip the government of its workforce and eliminate entire departments with the stroke of a pen or click of a mouse would have been shocking to those who won this country’s independence.”

“There is no office of the United States, other than the President, with the full power of the Executive Branch, and the sweeping authority now vested in a single unelected and unconfirmed individual is antithetical to the nation’s entire constitutional structure,” the filing further stated, per reports.

It is worth noting that a similar lawsuit was filed earlier on Thursday by several current and former employees at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), after the DOGE shuttered the civilian foreign aid and development assistance agency as one of its first projects, slashing its workforce from 10,000 to less than 300.

Furthermore, the department attempted to stop money from going into USAID by accessing the Department of Treasury payment system, although they had originally assured federal lawmakers in a letter that they only intended “to review the integrity of the payments and had “read-only access” to the system as part of an audit process.”

Regarding the lawsuit filed by the 14 states, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said in a statement:

“Our constitutional order was founded in part to guard against the accumulation of state power in the hands of a single individual, and while that construction was first focused on the abuse of power of an 18th century monarch, it is no less dangerous in the hands of a 21st century tech tycoon.”

It is worth noting that on the same day, Gavin Kliger, one of the top officials working with DOGE, visited the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) headquarters in Washington to scrutinize operations, according to people familiar with the matter.

Federal government wings are seemingly on edge regarding visits from the DOGE, which has been tasked with scanning the government for areas where it can identify and remove what it deems as unnecessary government expenditures.

It was reported that the senior executives at the IRS were instructed via email on Thursday to identify all “non-essential” contracts for termination.

“In the email, senior executives at the IRS were told that the General Services Administration (GSA), which manages most government contracts, is demanding they review consulting contracts under their purview and determine whether they can be justified,” reports have mentioned.

The email clarified that the General Services Administration would deem a contract non-essential if it “merely generates a report, research, coaching, or an artifact.”

“Consistent with the goals and directives of the Trump administration to eliminate waste, reduce spending, and increase efficiency, GSA has taken the first steps in a government-wide initiative to eliminate non-essential consulting contracts,” the email further read.

Despite the ruckus around the DOGE, President Trump said on Tuesday, February 11, that he was signing an executive order giving Musk more power over the federal workforce.

According to reports, the new executive order states that federal agencies must “coordinate and consult” with DOGE to cut jobs and limit hiring, and will be ordered to “undertake plans for large-scale reductions in force” and limit their hiring process to “essential positions” only.

Notably, according to a new Economist/YouGov poll, only 38% of the surveyed individuals said they approve of the job the Tesla and SpaceX CEO is doing with DOGE, placing the department’s job approval ratings nearly 10 points behind the “historically low” ratings of President Donald Trump.

Reports mentioned that 24% of those in approval said they strongly approve of DOGE and how it is functioning and 14% said they “somewhat approve.”

On the other hand, the Economist/YouGov poll found that 47% of surveyed individuals said they disapprove of Musk and DOGE’s job performance, of which 41% said they “strongly disapprove” while 6% said they “somewhat disapprove.”

One of the top aides of the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) reportedly visited the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) headquarters in Washington on Thursday, February 13, according to people familiar with the matter.

Knewz.com has learned that the DOGE’s IRS visit was also reported by Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, who claimed that if someone’s tax refunds are delayed, “they could very well be the reason.”

Federal government wings are seemingly on edge regarding visits from the DOGE, which has been tasked with scanning the government for areas where it can identify and remove what it deems as unnecessary government expenditures.

Led by Musk and a group of engineers, DOGE just shuttered the civilian foreign aid and development assistance agency USAID as one of its first projects, slashing its workforce from 10,000 to less than 300.

Furthermore, the department attempted to stop money from going into USAID by accessing the Department of Treasury payment system, although they had originally assured federal lawmakers in a letter that they only intended “to review the integrity of the payments and had “read-only access” to the system as part of an audit process.”

At the same time, DOGE reportedly gained access to highly restricted government records on millions of federal employees, as part of what reports mention is “a broader effort to take control” over the Office of Personnel Management.

Protests have already erupted against the Musk-led DOGE and their downsizing of government employees at a concerning rate.

As a result, concerns were on the rise as the department paid a visit to the Washington headquarters of the IRS.

In addition, it was reported that the senior executives at the IRS were instructed via email on Thursday to identify all “non-essential” contracts for termination.

“In the email, senior executives at the IRS were told that the General Services Administration (GSA), which manages most government contracts, is demanding they review consulting contracts under their purview and determine whether they can be justified,” reports have mentioned.

The email clarified that the General Services Administration would deem a contract non-essential if it “merely generates a report, research, coaching, or an artifact.”

“Consistent with the goals and directives of the Trump administration to eliminate waste, reduce spending, and increase efficiency, GSA has taken the first steps in a government-wide initiative to eliminate non-essential consulting contracts,” the email further read.

Senator Wyden took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to report the Musk-led department’s IRS visit, saying:

“My office is hearing that DOGE is now at the IRS. That means Musk’s henchmen are in a position to dig through a trove of data about every taxpayer in America. And if your refund is delayed, they could very well be the reason.”

It is worth noting that, according to a new Economist/YouGov poll, only 38% of the surveyed individuals said they approve of the job the Tesla and SpaceX CEO is doing with DOGE, placing the department’s job approval ratings nearly 10 points behind the “historically low” ratings of President Donald Trump.

Reports mentioned that 24% of those in approval said they strongly approve of DOGE and how it is functioning and 14% said they “somewhat approve.”

On the other hand, the Economist/YouGov poll found that 47% of surveyed individuals said they disapprove of Musk and DOGE’s job performance, of which 41% said they “strongly disapprove” while 6% said they “somewhat disapprove.”

Nearly a month into his second Presidential term, Trump did relatively better in the poll, with 46% approving of his job performance.

Despite the ruckus around the DOGE, President Trump said on Tuesday, February 11, that he was signing an executive order giving Musk more power over the federal workforce.

According to reports, the new executive order states that federal agencies must “coordinate and consult” with DOGE to cut jobs and limit hiring, and will be ordered to “undertake plans for large-scale reductions in force” and limit their hiring process to “essential positions” only.

Notably, five former Treasury Secretaries have published an open letter in The New York Times, harshly criticizing the actions of the Musk-led department and pointing out that the handling of sensitive information by “political actors from the so-called Department of Government Efficiency” risks the said information to “exposure, potentially to our adversaries.”

“These political actors have not been subject to the same rigorous ethics rules as civil servants, and one has explicitly retained his role in a private company, creating at best the appearance of financial conflicts of interest. They lack training and experience to handle private, personal data — like Social Security numbers and bank account information,” the letter stated.

Despite Donald Trump previously promising lowering prices across the market, that isn’t going as planned as the president’s first inflation report is bleak.

According to the new report, core inflation in the month of January rose three percent from a year earlier – and Trump is raging, Knewz.com can reveal.

The stock market also saw a fall with the S&P 500 down around one percent as markets opened on Wednesday morning. The economic hit comes after experts feared Trump’s controversial tariffs would lead to inflation.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell informed Senators on Tuesday that the Fed would not be cutting interest rates as it continues its battle to tame inflation. And the bad news continues to flow in as traders are now predicting the next major rate cut won’t be seen until December.

Despite the rough numbers, Trump still took to Truth Social to stand behind his decisions, as he wrote: “Interest Rates should be lowered, something which would go hand in hand with upcoming Tariffs!!! Lets Rock and Roll, America!!”

Meanwhile, Isaac Stell, the Investment Manager at Wealth Club, believes the Fed will be happy they have not bend the knee to Trump and cut rates as of now.

Stell explained: “The Federal Reserve will likely feel vindicated in its decision to pause rate cuts in January, as the spectre of inflation looks like it’s raising its ugly head once again

“The Fed not only has to juggle its dual mandate of price stability and maximum employment, but must also deal with the White House tariff and policy circus, which is adding additional uncertainty to the economic outlook.”

“If things carry on the way they’re going, whispers of a rate hike may start to echo through the corridors of the Fed,’ Stell added.

Critics of Trump were quick to bash the 78-year-old following the inflation report, as one person wrote: “The tariffs and trade wars aren’t bringing down prices and stabilizing the market? Who would have guessed?”

Another added: “We learned in 2023 and 2024 that cutting interest rate does absolutely nothing to stop inflation,” while one user asked, “So what happened to all the promises of bringing grocery prices down and gas prices down?”

Trump has already shook up the country in barely a month in office – and he’s clearly aware he’s also ruffled some feathers.

The politician – who has vowed to take over the devastated Gaza Strip and “level” the site before looking to redevelop it – was recently asked what protocols would be triggered should he be killed by an Iranian plot.

He revealed: “I’ve left instructions if they do it, they get obliterated, there won’t be anything left.”

Federal authorities have been tracking Iranian threats against Trump and other U.S. administration officials for years.

Trump is no stranger to assassination attempts, having already survived at least two, including one last July while he spoke during a Pennsylvania rally.

The incident left two people dead including the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Elon Musk went from dismissing Donald Trump as “nuts” to becoming his biggest backer.

The tech tycoon was initially reluctant to support Trump in 2016, but things changed once he saw the president’s “bulls—” skills and realized he could seize the opportunity to elevate his unstoppable empire, Knewz.com can reveal.

In his biography Elon Musk, author Walter Isaacson – who spent two years shadowing and interviewing Musk for the book – described how the mogul had been backing the Democratic Party before making his dramatic shift to the opposing side.

Isaacson wrote of Musk: “Like many techies, he was liberal on social issues but with a dollop of libertarian resistance to regulations and political correctness.

“He contributed to the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and then Hillary Clinton, and he was a vocal critic of Donald Trump in the 2016 election.”

Isaacson recalled how Musk even said of Trump at the time: “He doesn’t seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States.”

After Trump’s win, the tech mogul became cautiously optimistic – hoping he might govern as an independent rather than a far-right figure.

Isaacson recalled Musk saying: “I thought that maybe some of the crazier stuff he said during the campaign was just a performance and he would land in a more sensible place.”

Encouraged by his friend Peter Thiel, Musk agreed to join a December 2016 meeting in New York with tech CEOs and the president.

Musk then met privately with Trump to assess his leadership, where Trump joked about receiving a Tesla he never drove and expressed interest in revitalizing NASA – which baffled the entrepreneur.

Isaacson wrote: “Musk thought the meeting was odd, but he found Trump to be friendly. ‘He seems kind of nuts,’ he said afterward, ‘but he may turn out okay.'”

Trump told CNBC’s Joe Kernen he was impressed by Musk, particularly his rocket work, and compared him to historical geniuses like Edison.

For Musk’s part, the billionaire started to realize how Trump as president was no different from his campaign persona; the buffoonery wasn’t just an act.

He even compared Trump to his father, noting his clever ability to “bull—-” people.

Isaacson wrote: “He concluded that Trump as president was no different than he was as a candidate. The buffoonery was not just an act.

“‘Trump might be one of the world’s best bull——-s ever,’ he says. ‘Like my dad. Bull——– can sometimes baffle the brain. If you just think of Trump as sort of a con-man performance, then his behavior sort of makes sense.'”

After Joe Biden assumed office, the tech mogul continued to harbor a “deep disdain” for Trump – whom he regarded as a con man, the writer revealed.

That was one of the reasons Musk initially agreed Trump should be removed from Twitter, though he was later reinstated in 2022.

Still, the SpaceX founder told Isaacson: “I’m not Trump’s fan. He’s disruptive. He’s the world’s champion of b——-.”

Yet during Trump’s 2024 campaign rally, Musk was by the Republican’s side the entire time – despite his former aversion.

Their incredibly close bond over the past year has raised eyebrows, and Musk has denied any direct political favor exchange with Trump – despite financing his campaign and promoting misinformation on his social media platform, X.

But theories over their relationship have been swirling as Musk continues to portray himself as a political centrist aiming to improve the world.

On Wall Street, some view Musk’s support of Trump as a strategic move to expand his empire – as Tesla’s stock has boosted significantly, as per The New Yorker.

Tesla’s market value rose by nearly $50 billion post-election, benefiting from potential favorable policies under a second Trump administration, especially for Musk’s other ventures like SpaceX and Starlink – which rely on federal contracts.

Musk also sees Trump’s stance on tariffs and EV credits as advantageous for Tesla’s dominance.

The tech mogul’s push for autonomous vehicle regulation – particularly at the federal level – could accelerate Tesla’s ambitions, though it’s been complicated by state-level regulation and safety investigations.

Tariffs on Chinese imports could help Tesla by reducing competition, although it might raise some costs unless Musk gets special treatment, similar to Apple’s.

Additionally, Musk’s influence over Trump could extend to policy decisions, like the choice for Treasury Secretary.

Furthermore, Musk’s promotion of Dogecoin has profited from Trump’s victory, with the cryptocurrency’s value skyrocketing post-election.

Trump’s mention of a Department of Government Efficiency, with the acronym “DOGE,” seemed to benefit Musk’s crypto holdings – adding another layer to their financial and political relationship.